France supports bringing Gaza massacre to UN Human Rights Council

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) PARIS, May 16 (KUNA) -- France on Wednesday said it supports an initiative by the UAE to bring the Gaza massacre by Israeli troops of almost 60 people on the Israel-Gaza border to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva and also notes the call by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guteres for an "independent and transparent" enquiry into the mass shootings last Monday. The Israel action has been broadly condemned worldwide, including by French President Emmanuel Macron and France has said the shootings were totally unjustified against unarmed and peaceful demonstrators. French State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, told Parliament on Wednesday that "all light must be shed on these grave events." Lemoyne warned against further flare-ups and the dangerous situation on the coming Friday, which is also the first Friday of the Holy Month of Ramadan. France has two principal demands, he said. These include "respect for international law (and) respect for human rights, including the right to demonstrate peacefully." Lemoyne affirmed that Israel's "use of deadly weapons must be excluded" and demonstrators must endeavour to protest peacefully. Concerning the use of live ammunition by the Israeli forces against protesters, an action which has led to 100 deaths and several thousand gunshot injuries since March 30, "France has supported the Emirati initiative to seize the Human Rights Council," he said. The State Secretary also indicated that Paris wanted the UN Security Council to be continually involved in the situation. Kuwait, as a current member of the UNSC, has been active in bringing the issue before the Security Council, including by calling for an emergency session on Tuesday. (end) jk.ibi